Guus Hiddink is in Oz to commemorate the 10th anniversary of our first FIFA WC qualification in 32 years. What a great moment that was. Hiddink is revered in Australia, and is arguably the best foreign coach we've had in any sport.

And the Socceroos are in Bangladesh.

"Hey, doll. Could you scare up another round for our table over here? And tell the cook this is low grade dog food. I've had better food at the ballgame, you know? This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." Al Czervik, aka Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" (1980)

Team(s) Supported: Aussie cricket team, Liverpool FC (it's a long story) and the mighty blue boys in the AFL. I like watching good teams performing well. An advid fan of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to Rio in 2016 & Tokyo in 2020!

The Central Coast Mariners have signed Luis Garcia. The Mariners are currently dead last, and could use all the help they can get.

"Hey, doll. Could you scare up another round for our table over here? And tell the cook this is low grade dog food. I've had better food at the ballgame, you know? This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." Al Czervik, aka Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" (1980)

Team(s) Supported: Aussie cricket team, Liverpool FC (it's a long story) and the mighty blue boys in the AFL. I like watching good teams performing well. An advid fan of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to Rio in 2016 & Tokyo in 2020!

"Hey, doll. Could you scare up another round for our table over here? And tell the cook this is low grade dog food. I've had better food at the ballgame, you know? This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." Al Czervik, aka Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" (1980)

Team(s) Supported: Aussie cricket team, Liverpool FC (it's a long story) and the mighty blue boys in the AFL. I like watching good teams performing well. An advid fan of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to Rio in 2016 & Tokyo in 2020!

"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."

"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."

With a new Hyundai A League season now well and truly under way, there's been quite a bit of talk about the league expanding, following the implementation of an impending new tv deal. Currently, the league is televised on Foxtel, our version of Sky. With the game seemingly enjoying a spike in popularity in a sporting landscape dominated by Australian Rules football and Rugby League, this is a positive step forward, which needs to happen if the Socceroos are ever going to do anything of significance on the international stage outside of Asia.

Currently, 10 teams complete in the A-League. The talk is that 2 new franchises will be admitted, with a plethora of bids being made from various corners of the country. Bids or expressions of interest as they currently stand are as follows;

From what I've read, there is a huge push to include a franchise from Tassie, and I reckon Geelong could be a dark horse, especially if the Geelong Cats get involved.I have read that one potential long term goal of the league is to have 2 divisions with promotion and relegation. What the league is trying to avoid is having teams with ethnic affiliations, which is likely to make it pretty tough for any of the teams on the second list (baring the Strikers), from getting the nod to step up. South Sydney rounds out the top 3 in this race. It's going to be quite interesting to see where the cards fall on this one. Stay tuned!

"Hey, doll. Could you scare up another round for our table over here? And tell the cook this is low grade dog food. I've had better food at the ballgame, you know? This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." Al Czervik, aka Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" (1980)

Team(s) Supported: Aussie cricket team, Liverpool FC (it's a long story) and the mighty blue boys in the AFL. I like watching good teams performing well. An advid fan of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to Rio in 2016 & Tokyo in 2020!

I have a friend who is a South Melbourne fan, and he seems pretty confident about them getting a place. Can Melbourne really support another team? Im sure a few Victory supporters would go back to supporting South Melbourne, but it would dilute the support for me of the other 2 teams from Melbourne.

Personally though it is about time Tasmania got a national team. Neglected by the other winter codes, a "Soccer" team might well take off in the apple isle.

FTS do you think the Wellington Phoenix will survive. Pretty much the smallest team in the league, and i'm not sure how much of an impact they have had in NZ?

Tasmania United (united) it will have to be in order to survive and prosper. And there itself is a problem. The population of the state is fairly evenly divided between North and South, and parochialism is rampant down here.

The team needs to be Tasmania United, but it will not survive being based just in Hobart (or, just in Launceston). But having a split home base will not be good for the club and team. And a large percentage of Tasmanians will not drive to the other region - either the 2, 3 or 4 hour drive is beyond what they are prepared to do or they are buggered if they can be bothered driving all the way to the bloody North/South, stuff 'em!

That is probably the biggest hurdle a Tassie team will face, but chasing the corporate dollar will also be a challenge. Also, the only two grounds worthy are cricket/AFL grounds, so the gap between spectators and the action will be large.

GarlicJam wrote:Tasmania United (united) it will have to be in order to survive and prosper. And there itself is a problem. The population of the state is fairly evenly divided between North and South, and parochialism is rampant down here.

The team needs to be Tasmania United, but it will not survive being based just in Hobart (or, just in Launceston). But having a split home base will not be good for the club and team. And a large percentage of Tasmanians will not drive to the other region - either the 2, 3 or 4 hour drive is beyond what they are prepared to do or they are buggered if they can be bothered driving all the way to the bloody North/South, stuff 'em!

That is probably the biggest hurdle a Tassie team will face, but chasing the corporate dollar will also be a challenge. Also, the only two grounds worthy are cricket/AFL grounds, so the gap between spectators and the action will be large.

No chance of building a purpose built cheap ground like they do in France for a lot of the rugby grounds? Those grounds can get cold, but they are built for little money.

If Tassie got a national team is there not a chance that all will get behind it, or is the divide that great? Obviously traveling between the north and safe would not work for some of the supporters. But either Hobart or Launceston would get similar crowds to Geelong?

yuppie wrote:I have a friend who is a South Melbourne fan, and he seems pretty confident about them getting a place. Can Melbourne really support another team? Im sure a few Victory supporters would go back to supporting South Melbourne, but it would dilute the support for me of the other 2 teams from Melbourne.

Personally though it is about time Tasmania got a national team. Neglected by the other winter codes, a "Soccer" team might well take off in the apple isle.

FTS do you think the Wellington Phoenix will survive. Pretty much the smallest team in the league, and i'm not sure how much of an impact they have had in NZ?

South Melbourne is a very interesting case. They are the oldest soccer clubs in the country, and boast a large following, including having a well established network of under age teams, and have their own stadium. They strongly insist that they have moved away from being a Greek club, but for me, they will always be a Greek club. They've been trying to gain admission into the A-League since the inception of the league a decade ago. With the failure of several franchise creations over the past five years, I can't help but feel that it is inevitable that South Melbourne FC will get their wish, maybe not during this current expansion, but perhaps the next.

Tasmania United does seem to be a favourite at this stage. With the league still drawing up it's criteria, I suspect that this bid could well fall short in some key areas, namely; population base, lack of stadium other than Blundstone Arena (which could work). I'm not so sure that soccer is such a big sport down in Van Dieman's Land. The media on the mainland, however, seem to think that the Apple Isle is ripe for the A-League. We have a team in New Zealand, so why not have one in Tas-Vegas?

As for the Wellington Phoenix, foe me, long term, they're in trouble. They have the lowest membership base in the league, they're currently second last on the points table, and things their generally are just not looking good. It would make better sense to have a New Zealand franchise based in Auckland, but we've already been there, done that, got the shirt, and it didn't work. Kiwis are really only interested in three things it seems; rugby, sheep dog trails, and....

Looking forward, I'm predicting the following;

Southern Sydney and Tas Utd get the nod this time. A new tv deal is signed. Not everyone is happy.Wellington lose their licence, with Brisbane Strikers and South Melbourne falling over themselves to take their place. The league decide to give Auckland another crack instead.Central Coast continue to struggle, and talks of a relocation come to nothing as the clubs owners dig their heals in.Further expansion occurs, with South Melbourne and the Strikers taking legal steps to ensure that they gain admission to the league.A second division eventually gets of the ground, with 6 teams coming in, including a second Adelaide team, Canberra, Wollongong, Northern Fury, possibly Geelong, and possibly a team based in Singapore. 10 teams in each division with promotion and relegation at the end of the season. South Melbourne end up in division one and become a powerhouse. Central Coast and the NZ team languish at the bottom of division 2.Melbourne City, despite being backed by rich owners, struggle to attract crowds.

"Hey, doll. Could you scare up another round for our table over here? And tell the cook this is low grade dog food. I've had better food at the ballgame, you know? This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." Al Czervik, aka Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" (1980)

Team(s) Supported: Aussie cricket team, Liverpool FC (it's a long story) and the mighty blue boys in the AFL. I like watching good teams performing well. An advid fan of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to Rio in 2016 & Tokyo in 2020!

I remember all the ethnic issues that used to follow football in Australia. Im still not sure that South Melbourne has addressed some of those issues yet. I also wonder if the A league wants South Melbourne in the league because of these issues.

Melbourne Victory has got a wide fan base from many different national groups. It has united many ex rivals behind one team and that has to be a good thing. The supporter base is huge and bringing South Melbourne in might just bring back some of the bad old times that really effected football in Australia.

As for Melbourne Heart, i mean City, tough to like. Whats the point really, though i'm sure the money will make them successful.

Do you think Tasmania could actually support a team FTS?

I never understood why there are 2 teams on the NSW coast. Surely Central coast and the Jets should be one team. The A League is a little too much NSW focused.

I'd like to think that a franchise in Tassie would work, GarlicJam would really be the man to ask about that. I've never actually been to that part of the world, so I'm not really sure what makes the locals tick. I know that they love their footy, and they've got some decent golf courses, they make pretty good cheese, and their beer is top notch. I would imagine that there are strong British roots there. They did have an NBL franchise years ago, but alas, that fell by the wayside. I still think it could work, provided they steer clear of having deals for families, because they'll be dead in the water if they go down that path.

"Hey, doll. Could you scare up another round for our table over here? And tell the cook this is low grade dog food. I've had better food at the ballgame, you know? This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it." Al Czervik, aka Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" (1980)

Team(s) Supported: Aussie cricket team, Liverpool FC (it's a long story) and the mighty blue boys in the AFL. I like watching good teams performing well. An advid fan of the Olympic Games. Looking forward to Rio in 2016 & Tokyo in 2020!